Two-point velocity statistics over Lake Ontario

Cross-spectra between wind speeds on several masts in Lake Ontario have been analyzed. As previously predicted, coherence over water (small intensity of turbulence) between wind speeds measured on masts lined up with the wind appears to be larger than over land, and increases with decreasing Richardson numbers. As a result, in cold air over warm water, wind speed fluctuations are well predictable from upstream measurements. For large angles between the anemometer line and wind, the difference between coherence over land and water disappears. Furthermore, there is no significant difference in vertical coherence between water and land. When the wind is parallel to the anemometer line, small eddies travel, in agreement with Taylor's hypothesis, with the local mean wind speed. Large eddies travel significantly faster. Vertical phase delay increases with increasing Richardson number.     

Turbulence Measurements above a Pine Forest

Eddy fluxes of momentum, sensible and latent heat, and turbulence spectra measured over the Thetford Forest during 10 days in the Spring of 1973 are described. The measured total heat flux (H + λE) for 122 20-min periods agreed closely on average with independent estimates from an energy balance method. There was evidence that the energy balance data gave small systematic overestimates of available energy during the hours before noon, compensated by slight underestimates for the remainder of the day. A comparison of measured wind speeds and friction velocities in neutral stability confirmed the validity of the aerodynamic method for estimating momentum fluxes at heights of a few roughness lengths above the canopy. In stable conditions the log-linear wind profile $U=(u_{?t}/k)({? ln}((z-d)/z_{0})+←pha(z-d-z_{0})/L)$ with α = 3.4 ± 0.4 provided a good fit to the data. Spectra in unstable conditions were generally more sharply peaked than those measured by other workers over smoother terrain: differences were less marked in the case of vertical velocity in stable conditions. Temperature spectra in these stable conditions showed high energy at relatively low wavenumbers, and wT cospectra showed a cospectral gap; both of these results were associated with an intermittent sawtooth structure in the temperature fluctuations.     

Turbulence measurements above a pine forest

Eddy fluxes of momentum, sensible and latent heat, and turbulence spectra measured over the Thetford Forest during 10 days in the Spring of 1973 are described. The measured total heat flux (H + E) for 122 20-min periods agreed closely on average with independent estimates from an energy balance method. There was evidence that the energy balance data gave small systematic overestimates of available energy during the hours before noon, compensated by slight underestimates for the remainder of the day. A comparison of measured wind speeds and friction velocities in neutral stability confirmed the validity of the aerodynamic method for estimating momentum fluxes at heights of a few roughness lengths above the canopy. In stable conditions the log-linear wind profileU = (u _*/k)(ln ((z -d)/z _o) + (z -d -z _o)/L) with = 3.4 ± 0.4 provided a good fit to the data. Spectra in unstable conditions were generally more sharply peaked than those measured by other workers over smoother terrain: differences were less marked in the case of vertical velocity in stable conditions. Temperature spectra in these stable conditions showed high energy at relatively low wavenumbers, andwT cospectra showed a cospectral gap; both of these results were associated with an intermittent sawtooth structure in the temperature fluctuations.Now at the Meteorological Office, Bracknell     

Daytime Turbulence Statistics above a Steep Forested Slope

Six levels of simultaneously sampled ultrasonic data are used to analyse the turbulence structure within a mixed forest of 13 m height on a steep slope (35°) in an alpine valley. The data set is compared to other studies carried out over forests in more ideal, flat terrain. The analysis is carried out for 30-min mean data, joint probability distributions, length scales and spectral characteristics.Thermally induced upslope winds and cold air drainage lead to a wind speed maximum within the trunk space. Slope winds are superimposed on valley winds and the valley-wind component becomes stronger with increasing height. Slope and valley winds are thus interacting on different spatial and time scales leading to a quite complex pattern in momentum transport that differs significantly from surface-layer characteristics. Directional shear causes lateral momentum transports that are in the same order or even larger than the longitudinal ones. In the canopy, however, a sharp attenuation of turbulence is observed. Skewed distributions of velocity components indicate that intermittent turbulent transport plays an important role in the energy distribution.Even though large-scale pressure fields lead to characteristic features in the turbulent structure that are superimposed on the canopy flow, it is found that many statistical properties typical of both mixing layers and canopy flow are observed in the data set.     

The Spatial Variability of Turbulence above a Forest

Summary The spatial variability of turbulence above a forest has been examined. Two measurement towers were erected 800 m apart within a heterogeneous mixed forest located in the north east of the Netherlands. The measurements of u ^* /u were analysed and subsequently used to test a surface layer model. The model simulated the magnitude of the measurements reasonably well, but measured trends were not always reproduced by the model. The variable (du/dz)/u did not adapt as quickly to the new surface as u ^* /u. This is in agreement with Schmid (1994), and can be explained by a local decrease in mixing length. It is recommended to adapt the mixing length near a surface transition to improve the accuracy of surface layer models of heterogeneous landscapes. Received September 8, 1997 Revised April 15, 1998     

Turbulence in an almond orchard: Vertical variations in turbulent statistics

Three-dimensional wind velocity components were measured above and within a uniform almond orchard. Turbulent statistics associated with the turbulent flow inside the canopy are examined in detail. Turbulence in an almond orchard is characterized by relatively high turbulent intensities and large skewness and kurtosis values. These results indicate that the frequency distribution of wind velocity components is non-Gaussian. Conditional sampling of the turbulent measurements show that large, infrequent sweeps provide the predominant mechanism for tangential momentum stress in the canopy crown. Deep inside the canopy, a secondary wind maximum and small, but positive, tangential momentum stresses are observed.     

Turbulent transport of scalar quantities within and above a paddy field

An experiment was conducted to study turbulent transport processes of scalar quantities within and above a rice plant canopy. A sonic anemometer-thermometer and a Lyman- humidiometer were used to measure the turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat and related turbulence statistics within a paddy field. The sensible and latent heat fluxes measured at two heights within and above the plant canopy showed that the upper layer of this plant canopy was an active source region and that the source strength of sensible and latent heat depended on the solar radiation and physiology of rice plants. Analysis of joint probability distributions of w and T and of w and q within this plant canopy showed that downdrafts were remarkably efficient for upward transport of sensible and latent heat in the daytime. The vertical fluxes of temperature and humidity variance were also divergent from the upper layer of plant canopies. The power spectra of temperature and humidity within the plant canopy decreased rapidly in the high frequency range, compared with the - 2/3 law relationship of nS(n) vs log n observed above plant canopies.     

松林冠层大气湍流结构观测研究

为了更好地了解大气与物质和能量交换，用二层三维超声风速温度仪测量了重庆市郊松林风速和温度脉动值。采样速率为每秒１次和１１次，数字量记录。计算了湍流动最通量和热通量的日变化，以及湍流风速的统计量和功率谱。结果表明，冠层上动量通量向下传输，而冠层内大多向上传输；冠层内湍流风速ｕ的三阶矩平均值大于零，ｗ的小于零；冠层上无因次湍流风速分量ｕ，ｗ标准差和无因次湍流动能耗散率与局地Ｍｏｎｉｎ－Ｏｂｕｋｈｏｖ长     

Eddy flux measurements over Lake Ontario

Wind, temperature and humidity fluctuations have been recorded using a sonic anemometer-thermometer, a thrust anemometer, and a La humidiometer. The two anemometers agree in wind speed and stress. Exchange coefficients for momentum, heat and moisture are found to agree with values measured over other bodies of water.Contribution 391, Bedford Institute of Oceanography.Project 75 BL, International Field Year for the Great Lakes.     

Vertical Structure of Selected Turbulence Characteristics above an Urban Canopy

Summary In this paper the results of an urban measurement campaign are presented. The experiment took place from July 1995 to February 1996 in Basel, Switzerland. A total of more than 2000 undisturbed 30-minute runs of simultaneous measurements of the fluctuations of the wind vector u′, v′, w′ and the sonic temperature θ _s ′ at three different heights (z=36, 50 and 76 m a.g.l.) are analysed with respect to the integral statistics and their spectral behaviour. Estimates of the zero plane displacement height d calculated by the temperature variance method yield a value of 22 m for the two lower levels, which corresponds to 0.92 h (the mean height of the roughness elements). At all three measurement heights the dimensionless standard deviation σ _w /u _* is systematically smaller than the Monin-Obukhov similarity function for the inertial sublayer, however, deviations are smaller compared to other urban turbulence studies. The σ_θ/θ_* values follow the inertial sublayer prediction very close for the two lowest levels, while at the uppermost level significant deviations are observed. Profiles of normalized velocity and temperature variances show a clear dependence on stability. The profile of friction velocity u _* is similar to the profiles reported in other urban studies with a maximum around z/h=2.1. Spectral characteristics of the wind components in general show a clear dependence on stability and dimensionless measurement height z/h with a shift of the spectral peak to lower frequencies as thermal stability changes from stable to unstable conditions and as z/h decreases. Velocity spectra follow the −2/3 slope in the inertial subrange region and the ratios of spectral energy densities S _w (f)/S _u (f) approach the value of 4/3 required for local isotropy in the inertial subrange. Velocity spectra and spectral peaks fit best to the well established surface layer spectra from Kaimal et al. (1972) at the uppermost level at z/h=3.2. Received September 26, 1997 Revised February 15, 1998     

Turbulence intensities and bulk coefficients in the surface layer above the sea

The structure of the atmospheric surface layer above the sea is analysed from aircraft turbulence measurements. The data are issued from two experiments performed in 1990 above the Mediterranean sea: Crau and PYREX, and correspond to moderately unstable conditions and to wind velocities ranging from 6 to 20 m/s. Low-altitude straight and level runs were used to compute the variances of the wind components, as well as of the temperature and moisture. Their dependence on the stability index —z/L is analysed. The turbulent fluxes of momentum, sensible heat and latent heat, calculated by the eddy-correlation technique, are used to estimate the neutral bulk coefficients: drag coefficient, Stanton number and Dalton number. The neutral drag coefficient clearly exhibits a dependence on the windspeed, which could be well fitted by the Charnock relation, with a constant of 0.012.     

Observations and numerical modelling of Lake Ontario breezes

Abstract

Analysis of two years of land‐based data shows that the Lake Ontario breeze develops on 30% of the days during summer. It typically develops in mid‐morning and persists until the late evening when it is replaced by a well developed land‐breeze regime. Simulations of 4 cases with the Colorado State University mesoscale model show good agreement with observations and suggest that local lake breezes are strongly influenced by adjacent water bodies (e.g. Lake Erie), the elongated shape of the lake, and the large‐scale wind direction. With gradient flows across the long axis of the lake, a broad band of along‐lake flow develops during the afternoon (easterly winds during southerly gradient flows and westerly winds during northerly gradient flows). Furthermore, during west‐to‐northwesterly gradient flow a nocturnal cyclonic eddy is predicted at the western end of the lake. These results imply that wind‐field models applied in the vicinity of Lake Ontario should incorporate the entire lake in their modelling domain.     

An Investigation into Ridge-Top Turbulence Characteristics During Neutral and Weakly Stable Conditions: Velocity Spectra and Isotropy

An investigation into high Reynolds number turbulent flow over a ridge top in New Zealand is described based on high-resolution in-situ measurements, using ultrasonic anemometers for two separate locations on the same ridge with differing upwind terrain complexity. Twelve 5-h periods during neutrally stratified and weakly stable atmospheric conditions with strong wind speeds were sampled at 20 Hz. Large (and small) turbulent length scales were recorded for both vertical and longitudinal velocity components in the range of 7–23 m (0.7–3.3 m) for the vertical direction and 628–1111 m (10.5–14.5 m) for the longitudinal direction. Large-scale eddy sizes scaled to the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) numerical model simulated boundary-layer thickness for both sites, while small-scale turbulent features were a function of the complexity of the upwind terrain. Evidence of a multi-scale turbulent structure was obtained at the more complex terrain site, while an assessment of the three-dimensional isotropy assumption in the inertial subrange of the spectrum showed anisotropic turbulence at the less complex site and evidence of isotropic turbulence at the more complex site, with a spectral ratio convergence deviating from the 4/3 or unity values suggested by previous theory and practice. Existing neutral spectral models can represent locations along the ridge top with simple upwind complexity, especially for the vertical wind spectra, but sites with more orographic complexity and strong vertical wind speeds are often poorly represented using these models. Measured spectra for the two sites exhibited no significant diurnal variation and very similar large-scale and small-scale turbulent length scales for each site, but the turbulence energy measured by the variances revealed a strong diurnal difference.     

Surface albedo at a tower site in Lake Ontario

Measurements of incoming global, diffuse and reflected radiation at a tower site in Lake Ontario are used to evaluate components of surface albedo. Albedo for diffuse radiation lies between 0.074 and 0.082 and a coefficient for backscatter from sub-surface water layers shows little deviation from a mean of 0.017. Direct beam albedo for a calm surface follows the Fresnel law. Waves increase direct-beam albedo particularly at higher solar zenith angles. A pronounced dependence of albedo upon zenith angle for clear skies decreases with increasing cloud amount and becomes undetectable in overcast conditions. On a daily basis, albedo ranged between 0.07 in early July to 0.11 in mid-November. Day-to-day scatter is within ±1% of the mean seasonal trend.     

Influence from Surrounding Land on the Turbulence Measurements Above a Lake

Turbulence measurements taken at a Swedish lake are analyzed. Although the measurements took place over a relatively large lake with several km of undisturbed fetch, the turbulence structure was found to be highly influenced by the surrounding land during daytime. Variance spectra of both horizontal velocity and scalars during both unstable and stable stratification displayed a low frequency peak. The energy at lower frequencies showed a daily variation, increasing in the morning and decreasing in the afternoon. This behaviour is explained by spectral lag, where the low frequency energy due to large eddies that originate from the convective boundary layer above the surrounding land. When the air is advected over the lake the small eddies rapidly equilibrate with the new surface forcing. However, the large eddies remain for an appreciable distance and influence the turbulence in the developing lake boundary layer. The variances of the horizontal velocity and scalars are increased by these large eddies, while the turbulent fluxes are mainly unaffected. The drag coefficient, Stanton number and Dalton number used to parametrize the momentum flux, heat flux and latent heat flux respectively all compare well with current parametrizations developed for open sea conditions. The diurnal cycle of the partial pressure of methane, $p\mathrm{CH}_{4}$ , observed at this site is closely related to the diurnal cycle of the lake-air methane flux. An idealized two-dimensional model simulation of the boundary layer at a lake site indicates that the strong response of $p\mathrm{CH}_{4}$ to the surface methane flux is due to the shallow internal boundary layer that develops above the lake, allowing methane to accumulate in a relatively small volume.     

A numerical simulation of an observed lake breeze over Southern Lake Ontario

A time-dependent, two-dimensional primitive-equation atmospheric boundary-layer model has been applied to the South shore of Lake Ontario, using data obtained by Estoque et al. (1976).The model has correctly predicted the times of onset, maximum intensity and disappearance of the lake breeze. However, it underestimated the maximum inland penetration of the lake breeze, probably due to the fact that horizontal variations of surface potential temperature over the land had not been taken into account.     

Turbulence in Continental Stratocumulus,Part I: External Forcings and Turbulence Structures

Comprehensive, ground-based observations from the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurements program Southern Great Plains site are used to study the variability of turbulence forcings and cloud-scale turbulence structures in a continental stratocumulus cloud. The turbulence observations are made from an upward facing cloud (35 GHz) Doppler radar. Cloud base and liquid water path are characterized using a lidar at the surface and a microwave radiometer. The turbulence characterizations are compared and contrasted with those observed in marine stratocumulus clouds. During the 16-h observation period used in this study the cloud-base and cloud-top heights evolve with time and changes in liquid water path observed by the radiometer are consistent with variations in cloud depth. Unlike marine stratocumulus clouds, a diurnal cycle of cloud thickness and liquid water path is not observed. The observed surface latent, sensible, and virtual sensible heat fluxes and the radiative fluxes exhibit a diurnal cycle with values increasing from sunrise to afternoon and decreasing afterwards. During the night, the sensible heat, virtual sensible heat and the net radiative fluxes at the surface are slightly negative. Solar radiative heating prevails in the cloud layer during the day and strong radiative cooling exists at cloud top even during the day. Unlike marine stratocumulus, surface heating described by the convective velocity scale \(W_\mathrm{s}^{*}\) and cloud-top cooling described by \(W_\mathrm{r}^{*}\) are both important in driving the in-cloud turbulence during the day, whereas cloud-top cooling is the exclusive contributor during the night. The combined \(W_\mathrm{s}^{*}\) and \(W_\mathrm{r}^{*}\) (the total velocity scale \(W_\mathrm{t}^{*})\) provides a useful way to track the evolution of the turbulence structure in the cloud. The variance of the radar-measured radial velocity, which is related to resolved turbulence, follows the diurnal cycle and is consistent with the total velocity scale \(W_\mathrm{t}^{*}\) variations. It is higher during the day and lower during the night, which is contrary to that in marine stratocumulus. The \(W_\mathrm{t}^{*}\) values are lowest around sunset when the radiative cooling is also small due to upper-level clouds observed above the low-level stratus. The vertical distribution of the variance results from the surface heating during the day and cloud-top cooling during the night. The squared spectrum width, which is related to turbulence structures within the radar sampling volume (unresolved turbulence) also follows the diurnal cycle. Its vertical distribution indicates that the unresolved turbulence more closely relates to the processes near cloud top. Turbulence in the cloud requires about an hour to respond to the external forcings of surface heating and cloud-top radiative cooling. Positive skewness prevails during the day and negative skewness prevails at night with a sharp transition around sunset. Resolved turbulence dominates near cloud base whereas unresolved turbulence dominates near cloud top. The turbulence characteristics and variability defined in this study can be used to evaluate the time evolution of turbulence structures in large eddy simulation forced by surface and cloud-top radiative forcings.     

A Homogeneous Langevin Equation Model, Part i: Simulation of Particle Trajectories in Turbulence with a Skewed Velocity Distribution

A Lagrangian stochastic model for the time evolution of the velocity of a fluid particle is presented. This model is based on a one-dimensional generalized Langevin equation, and assumes the velocity probability distribution of the turbulent fluid is skewed and spatially homogeneous. This has been shown to be an effective approach to simulating vertical dispersion in the convective boundary layer. We use a form of the Langevin equation that has a linear (in velocity) deterministic acceleration and a random acceleration that is a non-Gaussian, skewed process. For the case of homogeneous fluid velocity statistics, this 'linear-skewed' Langevin equation can be integrated explicitly, resulting in an efficient numerical simulation method. Model simulations were tested using cases for which exact, analytic statistical properties of particle velocity are known. Results of these tests show that, for homogeneous turbulence, a linear-skewed Langevin equation model can overcome the difficulties encountered in applying a Langevin equation with a skewed random acceleration. The linear-skewed Langevin equation model results are compared to results of a 'nonlinear-Gaussian' Langevin equation model, and show that the linear-skewed model is significantly more efficient.